Chef to share vegan diet

Two years ago, the local Living Healthy Supper Club invited Anthony to their table, along with 300 guests.

The culinary specialist will host this year's free Supper Club at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the Grand Haven Community Center, 421 Columbus Ave.

Anthony has made a name for himself doing cooking shows all over the country and hosting hundreds of events each year. When he stopped to dine with the Grand Haven club in 2011, he prepared vegan dishes and talked about his experiences with the diet. He provided tips on how to cut oil, fats and sugars out of your diet.

“It’s a blessing to be able to do it,” he said.

At next month's event, Anthony plans to talk about reducing cholesterol, which he calls America's No. 1 health issue.

“This healthy vegan diet is the biggest movement now — because, statistically, people who eat vegan are the healthiest people on the planet,” Anthony said. “They have the least amount of cancers and live longer than anyone else.”

Supper club members such as Lesley Parrish of Coopersville say they are looking forward to Anthony's return. At a recent club meeting, Parrish shared how his diet transformation after moving into an assisted living center changed his life.

“I basically went there to die,” he said. “I had a bad heart."

After several years of suffering with cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and a lot of medications, Parrish became a vegan. He said the plant-based diet reversed his health, lowered his cholesterol and unblocked his arteries.

“Anything with a face and a mother, we don’t eat," Parrish said. "It all comes from the ground.”

The nearly 60 members of the Living Healthy Supper Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month, sitting down at tables in Grand Haven’s Seventh-day Adventist Service Center for a home-cooked vegetarian and vegan meal. Afterward, Chef Beth Thomas demonstrates how to cook the vegan meal, blending ingredients such as soy bean curls, coconut milk and tofu.